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Build a Better Monster Contest, Part II


seneschal

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Tsk, tsk. Sixty views so far and not one monster? Where's y'all's Halloween spirit? Oh, well ...

Edward Hyde

In 1887, London police issued an all-points bulletin for one Edward Hyde, wanted for questioning in regard to the bludgeoning death of Sir Danvers Carew, Member of Parliament. According to Carew’s solicitor, Gabriel John Utterson, Hyde had previously been implicated in a blackmail scheme against one of the city’s most respected physicians as well as an apparently random assault upon a small girl. Hyde was described as a small, dark, wiry man of extremely repugnant appearance, not actually deformed but exuding an aura of evil that repelled all who saw him. Utterson, who had attempted to follow Hyde to protect the reputation of the physician (another client), reported that the suspect was swift-moving and agile as a monkey. He apparently had rented rooms in the most disreputable section of London but was away when both Utterson and the police attempted to contact him at that address.

Edward Hyde is a creature of childish caprice, living to satisfy the hunger of the moment, whether the appetite is for a sumptuous dinner, a buxom wench, or revenge for some imagined slight. Despite his lack of self-restraint, he’s quite cunning and has so far managed to elude his pursuers with the aid of quick reflexes and his alter-ego’s generous bank account. He also has the ultimate alibi: if he must, he can transform back into the tall, elegant, and tortured Dr. Henry Jekyll. The transformations are becoming increasingly difficult and temporary, however, as Hyde is developing a tolerance for the drug Jekyll concocted to remove his inhibitions.

STR 13

CON 12

SIZ 8

INT 13

POW 12

DEX 15

APP 5

Move: 10

Hit Points: 10

AP: 1 (Heavy cloak)

Heroic-Level Powers: One Alternate Form (Dr. Henry Jekyll)

Failings: Alternate identity must be turned on (by special drug, +1); Impulsive, hot-tempered (+3); Hunted by London police (murder suspect, +1)

Weapons: Walking Stick 55% 1d8; Brawl and Grapple 50% each, 1d6

Skills: Bargain 30%, Climb 55%, Dodge 40%, Drive (Carriage) 25%, Etiquette 30%, Hide 35%, Insight 30%, Jump 50%, Knowledge (Criminal Underworld) 26%, Knowledge (Victorian London) 26%, Listen 35%, Sleight of Hand 30%, Spot 35%, Stealth 35%, Track 35%

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Tsk, tsk. Sixty views so far and not one monster? Where's y'all's Halloween spirit? Oh, well ...

I was going to write up the Headless Horseman, but I had problems working up the hit location table. ;)

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Chaos stalks my world, but she's a big girl and can take of herself.

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I'm working on Spring Heeled Jack, using some homebrew Gadget rules for his getup that poorly utilize Super powers.

Good, good! Jack was the first monster I wanted to do but I had difficulty figuring out how to translate his abilities into BRP terms. What those abilities are sorta depends on whether you interpret him as a space alien, a supernatural being, a Batman-ish vigilante, or a misogynistic nobleman in a mask. All four versions have arguments in the artlces I found about him. I'm looking forward to your write-up. :)

---

"I was going to write up the Headless Horseman, but I had problems working up the hit location table."

The Horseman and his spectral mount are separate write-ups. And he has a jack-o-lantern head. The trick is how to write up his ability to detach it and hurl it at passers-by. =O

Just for inspirational fun, here are a couple links about the real-world implications of B-movie monsters (and another reason the SIZ chart drives me crazy!):

http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/2/21701757/

http://www.livescience.com/animals/070813_big_bugs.html

:)

Edited by seneschal
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Re: our (much) earlier discussions on SIZ. As others have suggested, I eventually had to wing it.

Eighth Wonder

“We’re millionaires, boys. I’ll share it with all of you. Why, in a few months it’ll be up in lights on Broadway: Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World!

In 1933, film director Carl Denham returned to New York from a failed Pacific island on-location shoot with a unique biological specimen, which he planned to exhibit on Broadway. Things did not end well.

STR 85

CON 45

SIZ 45

INT 5

POW 11

DEX 16

Move: 13

Hit Points: 45

Damage Bonus: +7d6

Armor: 10-point hide and hair

Attacks: Bite 45% 1d8+1/2db (bleeding); Brawl 50% 1d6+db; Grapple 60%, special

Skills: Climb 65%; Dodge 45%; Hide 50%; Listen 35%; Martial Arts (Boxing) 25%; Perform (Snarl for the Cameras) 35%; Sense 25%; Stealth 35%; Track 35%

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Grobbendonk

A 2000AD bit part character. The alien pet of Nemesis the Warlock (a fire breathing demonic alien who fights to free the world from tyranny). Grobbendonk was formerly the familiar of Nemesis' eccentric Great Uncle Ball, banished to the outer regions of known space for his controversial experiments on humans.

Grobbendonk speaks Gibberish, a Fringe World dialect. He (it?) was deliberately eaten alive by Magna, the second wife of Nemesis, days before her wedding.

Grobbendonk is renowned for eating some truly disgusting stuff and generally being quite useless.

STR 4

CON 17

SIZ 3

INT 11

POW 14

DEX 17

APP 5

Move: 10

Hit Points: 10

Magic Points: 14

Damage Bonus -1d4

Location Melee Missile AP HP

Tail 01-08 01-06 0 3

Abdm 09-11 07-10 0 3

Chest 12 11-15 0 4

R Arm 13-15 16-17 0 3

L Arm 16-18 18-19 0 3

Head 19-20 20 0 3

Heroic-Level Powers:

None

Failings:

Quite useless other than for menial tasks

Edible

Weapons:

None

Skills:

Read 90%, Dodge 650%, Hide 55%, Insight 35%, Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 65%, Listen 55%, Sleight of Hand 60%, Spot 50%, Stealth 50%

Mr Jealousy has returned to reality!

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  • 1 year later...

It's almost October, time for more monsters. The last posting of an Invisible Man was a joke. Here's the real deal, source The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells:

The Invisible Man

In 1897, Dr. Griffin, a brilliant young English medical researcher and physics instructor, developed a series of chemical and radioactive treatments that changed the refractive properties of living tissue – first turning his laboratory animals into albinos, then making them transparent, and ultimately invisible. Despite unfortunate side-effects on his subjects, Griffin elected to test an improved version of the process on himself. It was a complete success, rendering the graduate student (but not his clothing) wholly invisible. Too late, Dr. Griffin discovered that he didn’t have a means to reverse the process. His attempts to concoct an antidote were failures. Horrified frustration, and the strange substances coursing through his flesh, slowly began to warp his mind. Driven by his bizarre condition and a lack of funds to continue his experiments, Griffin left his metropolitan laboratory for a remote country village where he attempted to steal money and equipment needed for his research. Continued failures and the demands of his suspicious landlady ultimately caused the Invisible Man to snap. He stripped off the bandages, smoked glasses and gloves that had concealed his secret and fled naked into the countryside, convinced of his invulnerability and plotting a terrorism campaign that would make him supreme ruler, first of England and then the world.

Griffin is an athletic man of about 30; his strength and relentlessness make him a dangerous combatant even for law enforcement veterans who have figured out where he is. On the rare occasions when he momentarily regains visibility, he possesses the red eyes and chalk-white skin and hair of an albino. Although mad and utterly ruthless, he remains brilliant and well-spoken. He has a powerful, persuasive voice (hence his APP) and can sound quite reasonable until he starts describing the series of murders that will bring him to power. In addition to food and shelter, he seeks a suitable assistant to help him in his work. Whether this unfortunate person wants to help him is beside the point.

Even before his transformation, Griffin was ruthless and self-centered. He embezzled money his father was managing to fund his research and exhibited no remorse when his despairing Dad committed suicide as a result. He abandoned his girlfriend of ten years as an unnecessary distraction. He didn’t hesitate to commit fraud and burglary to complete his experiments and arson to prevent (so he thought) his landlady from “stealing” his research.

The Invisible Man’s powers don’t work quite as described on Page 158 of the Big Gold Book. For starters, he doesn’t have to concentrate or expend POW points to remain invisible since he can’t turn off the ability. He can’t turn objects or other people invisible, requiring him to shed his garments if he wants to be unseen. He can move and fight normally without becoming visible. That said, there are many indicators of his presence. Invisibility hasn’t removed his mass or weight. Griffin still makes squeaky floorboards creak, leaves footprints and fingerprints, and radiates body heat and body odor. Revealing dust and mud collects on his feet. In rain, snow, smoke or fog, his interfering bulk appears as a hazy bubble. He has to breathe, eat, and relieve himself just like anyone else. Undigested meals, exhaled breath on a cold day, inhaled cigarette smoke, or bleeding wounds can give him away. And despite his conviction that he’s superhuman, The Invisible Man doesn’t possess any especial resistance to blows, blades or bullets, assuming foes manage to hit him.

STR 16

CON 12

SIZ 15

INT 18

POW 15

DEX 14

APP 9

Move: 10

Hit Points: 27 (CON+SIZ) or 14

Damage Bonus: +1D4

AP: None (he has to be naked to be unseen)

Heroic-level Powers: Invisibility (modifier – no range, self only, activation has no POW requirement); Extra Energy 110 points

Failings: Always Invisible (+5); Megalomaniac (+3)

Attacks: Brawl 50% 1d3+DB; Grapple 50% 1d3+DB

Skills: Craft (Chemical/Medical Laboratory Equipment) 30%, Disguise 26%, Dodge 33%, First Aid 43%, Hide 35%, Insight 30%, Language (English) 90%, Language (German) 20%, Listen 25%, Medicine 25%, Persuade 40%, Research 50%, Science (Chemistry) 39%, Science (Physics) 38%, Spot 30%, Stealth 35%, Technical Skill (Pharmacology) 25%, Track 35%

Notes: The limitations on Griffin's Invisibility cancel out the need to pay power points to turn it on. His Extra Energy effectively enables him to stay unseen as long as he's interacting with the player-characters. How many fights last 110 combat rounds?

Edited by seneschal
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I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I think these three skills outghta be higher...

With invisibility why would he need higher skills?

Seneschals write up is the closest I've seen to Wells' character, and he ain't too stealthy and agile.:)

Edited by Conrad
http://www.basicrps.com/core/BRP_quick_start.pdf A sense of humour and an imagination go a long way in roleplaying. ;)
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I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I think these three skills outghta be higher...

Perhaps, but it was either that or have his scientific skills be really low (limited by his skill point budget). Since he made such a groundbreaking discovery, I figured that's where the points needed to go. As Conrad said, Griffin would depend on his raw Invisibility to sneak around rather than ninja reflexes.

Another concern was the relatively low damage he does (hand-to-hand combat, 1D3+DB). I guess that is good enough against normal opponents. In the book he never had difficulty slaying a victim he'd set his sights upon, usually strangling him. But as his write-up says, the Invisible Man isn't superhuman (although he thinks he is), just a relatively young, athletic guy with a good chance of taking his targets unawares.

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The Gronk from 200AD

The Gronk is a timid, metal-eating alien from the planet Blas, in the Gallego system. The Gronk provided medical back-up and constantly worried about its "poor heartses", and in "Outlaw" showed it could survive multiple heart attacks.

In the Strontium Dogs spinoff, the Gronk transformed into a gun-toting highly aggressive soldier.

The GRONK

STR 6 ....MOV.....10......Effort 30

CON 26...HP......16.......Stamina 130

SIZ 6.....FAT.....32......Dam Mod -1d4

INT 16....MP......15......Idea 80

POW 15...Dex SR 2......Luck 75

DEX 18....Siz SR 3........Agility 90

APP 11......................Charisma 55

EDU 12......................Know 60

Location....Melee...Missile...Hp...Ap...Armor

R. Leg.......01-03...01-02....4.....0

L. Leg.......04-06...03-04....4.....0

Abdomen...07-12...05-09....6.....2.....Fur

Chest.......13-14...10-14....7......2.....Fur

R. Arm 2....15.......15.........3......0

R. Arm 1....16.......16.........3......0

L. Arm 2....17.......17..........3.....0

L. Arm 1....18.......18..........3.....0

Head........19-20...20..........5.....2....Fur

Weapon....SR......A%....Dam....Mal.......Ap....Rng...Ammo...ENC

Blaster.....1/SR....75....1d8+2...99-00...14....15......30.......1

Skills

Bargain 55 %

Etiquette 70 %

Fast Talk 75 %

Peform 15 %

Appraise 15 %

First Aid 85 %

Medicine 40 %

Science 36 %

Listen 25 %

Spot 25 %

Dodge 46 %

Hide 10 %

Stealth 20 %

Notes:

The Gronk has a special ability to have a heart attack and then recover at some unspecified time later. For all intents and purposes the Gronk appears dead but it can make a complete recovery, sometimes recovery affects the Gronk psychologically.

Edited by MrJealousy

Mr Jealousy has returned to reality!

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Good write-up! It goes to show not all monsters are giant, hulking creatures.

By the way, Citadel made a miniature of The Gronk:

http://www.artwho9figurepainting.co.uk/CITADEL%202000AD%20MINIATURE%20THE%20GRONK.htm

Feel free to jump in with your own monsters, gentle readers. Don't let me and Mr. Jealousy have all the fun.

Edited by seneschal
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Jiangshi

There are many tales surrounding how these creatures come to be: failure to observe proper burial rites, necromancy, leaving the corpses of suicides exposed to moonlight, or the refusal of some evil men and women to rest quietly in their tombs.

The result is the same: a horrible, undead monster that stalks the living to feed on their blood. Powerful Jaingshi can cloak their appearance with illusion, appearing as graceful and elegant humans. Their true appearance, which appears in mirrors and other reflective surfaces, is that of a corpse green with grave-mold; having a wild mane of white hair and long, talon-like nails.

Characteristics: As when living, with the following modifications: -2d6 from CHA for its monstrous appearance, +1d8+2 to its POW.

Powers:

Magic: Many, but not all Jiangshi, have a glamour on them, that hides their hideous appearance. The Jiangshi's reflection shows it's true, grotesque form. In addition cameras also record their true appearance. There is no power cost for the Jiangshi to cast this illusion during the night; however while the sun is in the sky they must expend Power Points to maintain the illusion. They also commonly posses the spells Control, Countermagic, and Dark.

Sorcery: Many Jiangshi are puissant sorcerers.

Powers:

Resistance: The Jiangshi resist damage from kinetic weapons, which pass through their bodies without doing any damage. They do take normal damage from iron, silver, or weapons of hawthorn wood. Fire and electricity do normal damage. They seem to draw lightning, so they tend to cower in their lairs during violent storms.

Drain: As you might expect from a vampire, the Jiangshi drain their victims of their vital life energies, or chi. This ability functions as the Drain Power, 1st level, Hit Points and POW. The Jiangshi has to inflict at least one HP of damage to an intended target, before it can first utilize this power. After the initial wound the vampire merely has to maintain physical contact with the victim to continue draining.

Alternate Form: The Jiangshi has at least one other alternate form. Wolves, owls, and ravens are common animal forms used by Jiangshi.

Super-Movement: Jiangshi possess Light-Foot and Wall Walking powers.

Leap: Jiangshi possess 2 levels of leap.

Requirements: The Jiangshi must always maintain a certain amount of reserve power, equal to 1/3 of their base POW, rounded down. If their POW drops to this level or below, the rigidity of a true corpse begins to overtake them. They become stiff, inflexible, and can only move in a grotesque hopping fashion (3 units of movement per round).

Aversions: Mirrors, the hexagrams of the I Ching, the call of a rooster, and jujube seeds.

Sunlight: Sunlight weakens these monsters, but does not destroy them. While in bright sunlight they cannot use any of their powers other than their learned magic and sorcery. They also loose 1 point of POW per hour while exposed to the sun.

Natural Weapons: Their long nails do 1d6+DB in damage.

Senses: Traditionally, Jiangshi are blind, though their olfactory and auditory sensitivity count as super-senses (Hearing and Smell). Variants could only be blind during daylight, with Darkvision during the hours of night; or not be visually impaired at all.

Edited by 1d8+DB
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Eek! A scary and different take on the basic vampire. Good monster guide, 1d8+DB! Jiangshi are from China, Korea and Japan. Here are links to more info and some pictures, including miniatures. Jiangshi are sometimes depicted with a piece of paper with writing on it hanging in front of their faces but I haven't yet been able to find out why.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiang_Shi

http://wanderingamericantravelblog.com/2012/04/04/jiang-shi-the-chinese-zombie/

http://www.crooked-dice.co.uk/forum/Blah.pl?v-print/m-1325534299/

Edited by seneschal
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The Golem

Source: The Golem (1920)

Historically, there have been four golems, artificial men of clay, created by various Jewish rabbis between the Middle Ages and the 18th Century, an indication of their piety and great learning. However, Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel constructed “the” Golem in 16th-Century Prague to protect Jewish believers from anti-Semitism. During a kabalistic ceremony, the Rabbi succeeded in learning the secret name of God. When The Name, written on parchment and inserted into a Star of David emblem, was placed on the clay giant’s chest, the Golem came to life, acting as Rabbi Loew’s personal servant and as a neighborhood patrolman to protect the Prague ghetto from the Jews’ unsympathetic Christian neighbors. The Emperor Luhois had planned to expel the Jews from his capital city but rescinded the order after the super-strong Golem saved him and his retainers from the collapsing roof of his throne room during an earthquake. All seemed well for the Jewish community.

More trouble was brewing, though. The Rabbi’s sexy daughter, Miriam, was having a secret affair with one of the Emperor’s cynical knights, Florian, while her father was busy negotiating with the king. The Golem proved to be no mere robot but an intelligent being with an eye for the ladies and a growing pride in its strength. It resented having what amounted to an “off” switch; Rabbi Loew was able to remove the Star of David after the earthquake rescue only by tricking the creature. Unfortunately, Loew’s young assistant, in love with his daughter, discovered what Miriam was up to and reactivated the Golem, sending it in pursuit of the lecherous Florian. The construct didn’t mind throwing the knight off the roof but then refused to submit to either the young assistant or to the Rabbi himself, escaping into the ghetto. It briefly kidnapped Miriam but abandoned her to rampage through the neighborhood, causing great property damage but fortunately few deaths. It then forced the ghetto gates to enter the city of Prague proper. The Golem picked up a child playing near the gates. The little girl, unafraid and curious, plucked off the Star of David to examine it, causing the Golem to revert to a mere clay statue.

Despite legends to the contrary, the Prague Golem did not collapse into dust. Instead, the Rabbi disassembled it and stored it secretly in an attic, “just in case.” Unfortunately, when the Jews’ hour of need again arrived – in the 1930s – no one remained with the knowledge to bring the Golem to life. Courageous believers managed to reassemble the body and smuggle it out of the country in a coffin, supposedly en route to its “funeral” in the United States. Whether it arrived intact or what happened to it afterward is unknown.

Standing more than 7 feet tall and weighing between 800 and 900 pounds, the Golem has a pageboy haircut and the massive physique of a bodybuilder. Forgive us, but it resembles He-Man from Masters of the Universe, dressed in a waist-length, long-sleeved tunic and hose. It is aware of its surroundings, capable of leering at pretty women and smirking when bystanders gasp in awe at its abilities. It cannot speak. Its eyes and mouth emit an eerie glow when it is angry. Its hard ceramic body is impervious to the physical damage most Medieval hand weapons are capable of dishing out as well as to fire and electricity (clay is a good insulator). Water – torrential rain or immersion in a lake or river – could soak into its porous form and weaken it, however. The Golem walks with ponderous deliberation; it isn’t necessarily clumsy but its heavy limbs don’t lend themselves to fast movement. Despite its mass, the Golem can move quietly when it wants to, the better to catch Gentile malefactors (or pretty maidens) unawares.

STR 70

CON 30

SIZ 32

INT 10

POW 8

DEX 10

APP 15

Move: 6

Hit Points: 62 (CON + SIZ) or 31

Damage Bonus: +5D6

Armor: 12 (kinetic, heat, electricity) ceramic body

Attacks: Brawl 45%, 1D3+DB; Grapple 40%, 1D3+DB

Skills: Climb 40%, Dodge 30%, Hide 45%, Listen 50%, Spot 50%, Stealth 50%, Throw 35%, Track 45%

Notes:

Pictures: Gary Lucas :: the golem

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Vincent

Source: Beauty and the Beast (1987), CBS

The urban legend named Vincent is a contemplative, sensitive soul and a lover of the fine arts despite his fierce appearance. Adopted as an infant by a secretive society of outcasts, he grew up in the labyrinthine tunnels deep beneath the streets of Manhattan. No vigilante, the mutant risks exposure and personal harm to protect people being preyed upon by thugs that he encounters during his nighttime rambles on the surface. Although the people he helps are grateful, the bad guys sometimes don’t survive.

One person to receive his aid was a young attorney, Catherine Chandler, who had been mistaken for another woman by hit men and knifed. Vincent took her into the tunnels to save her life and nursed her back to health. The two developed an intense emotional bond that persisted despite Chandler’s initial horror at beholding her rescuer. The ordeal caused her to switch her career to criminal law once she fully recovered from her injuries. As an investigator for the District Attorney’s office, she continues to run afoul of New York City’s rougher elements, and Vincent (who can feel when she is afraid) continues to arrive in the nick of time to save her from harm.

Vincent is a tall, furry humanoid with (literally) leonine features, an unruly mane, and functional fangs and claws. He speaks in a deep, quiet, cultured voice but roars when angered. Like other members of his alternate civilization, he tends to dress in fashions that recall 17th Century Europe, including a great hooded black cloak that helps conceal his features in shadowy alleyways.

STR 23

CON 13

SIZ 16

INT 16

POW 14

DEX 20

APP 9

Move: 12

Hit Points: 15 (29 SIZ + CON)

Damage Bonus: +1D6

Armor: 2 (furry hide)

Attacks: Bite 35%, 1D4+1/2D6; Brawl 45%, 1D3+1D6; Claw 55%, 1D6+1D6, Grapple 50%, 1D3+1D6

Skills: Art (Poetry) 45%, Climb 55%, Dodge 50%, First Aid 35%, Hide 65%, Insight 50%, Jump 60%, Knowledge (Classical Music) 40%, Knowledge (English Literature) 55%, Knowledge (NYC Tunnel System) 75%, Language (English) 80%, Listen 50%, Persuade 50%, Sense 50%, Spot 55%, Stealth 70%, Track 70%

Psychic Powers: Empathy

Mutations: Hybrid, Increased Characteristics, Natural Weaponry

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Penanggalan

A horrifying undead monster from Malaysian folklore, the Penanggalan is truly a grotesque nightmare.

By day the creature takes the form of a comely, young woman. But at night, her head separates itself from its body, and with its entrails hanging in bloody loops from the stump of its neck, flies through the night searching for blood.

Characteristics: +1d4+1 CHA (for its 'bodied' form). +1d4 POW. If using Hit Locations figure the HP for the head as normally, and add +1d6. If Hit Locations are not being used then the head has ½ of the creature's HP. The creature's base HP is as the basic racial type.

SAN: The horrifying nocturnal appearance of the Penanggalan forces a SAN check, 0/1d6 SAN.

Powers:

Defense (x3): -15% to all non-magical attacks made against the Penanggalan.

Flight: As per the power.

Drain (Hit Points): Requires a successful bite.

Snare Projection (Level 16): The Penanggalan can use its bloody intestines to snare, trip, entangle, and even garrote its opponents! The range of this horrid attack is some 5 meters. The Penanggalan's intestines have a STR of 16, and 0/5 AP/HP. The Penanggalan does not have to expend any power to use this ability.

Super-sense: Darkvison.

Super-movement: Wall-walking. The Penanggalan can shimmy up vertical surfaces like a wall-hugging caterpillar at a Move rate of 8.

Skills: Climb (40+1d10%), Dodge (30+2d10%), Projection (30+3d10%), and Stealth (40+3d6%).

Magic and Sorcery: Many Penanggalans are witches prior to becoming this unholy creature: and as such can retain all the arcane skills they had previously.

Combat: Bite (30+1d10%), 1d6 damage + Drain.

Notes: Favored victims are pregnant women and children, but any sentient being will do in a pinch.

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I like that the Penanggalan doesn't have the limitations of the European vampire. The PCs and their significant others could meet the monster by day, maybe even hire her as a housekeeper, nanny, or aerobics instructor -- or ask her out on a date! Then, once she's firmly established in their circle of friends and associates, the night monster comes calling, with a full knowledge of her potential victims' habits, schedules, the layout of their homes or businesses, etc. Eek!

Because the creature is so bizarre in its monster form, PCs and NPCs will be less likely to associate the attacker with their "friend" than they would if she were the Dracula "pale girl" variety.

More info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penanggalan

Vulnerabilities: The Penanggalan stores its unused body in a vat of vinegar (to preserve it) while the head is flying around. Even in human form, she always smells like vinegar, although a clever monster could come up with reasonable excuses for this (i.e., she's treating a bad sunburn). Mess with the body or its vinegar soak while Miss Monster is busy elsewhere, and she's in trouble. The vinegar helps her bloated organs shrink back down to a size capable of fitting into the body. Also, those exposed organs are sensitive despite their ability to be used as weapons. Malays put thorny leaves and branches around their doors and windows in the same way Westerners put garlic around theirs. The thorns tend to snag painfully on the monster's innards and discourage entry. However, in some variations of the legend, the monster can avoid this unpleasantness by oozing through the walls or floor of a dwelling.

Edited by seneschal
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Since they keep coming back, no matter how many times they die in the movies ...

Source: Frankenstein, Universal Pictures, 1931

Henry Frankenstein

“It’s alive! It’s alive! Alive! Ahahahaha!”

Son of a Swiss nobleman, Henry Frankenstein left medical school when his unorthodox theories about biological rejuvenation and requests for more and more cadavers for research alarmed his professors. Using his personal wealth, he established a private laboratory in an ancient abandoned watchtower. Obsessed with completing his experiments, he isolated himself from family and friends, even putting off marriage to his fiancé Elizabeth. Unable to procure human bodies legally, Frankenstein and his assistant, Fritz, have been scouring the countryside for fresh graves and recently hung criminals.

Frankenstein is a tall, thin man in his late 20s or early30s with large, serious dark eyes and a grim, determined manner. Without loved ones to constrain him, he has neglected sleep and meals until his already thin frame is gaunt and starved. Frankenstein is fanatically set on confirming his theories and will brusquely push aside anyone or anything that threatens to interrupt him, such as the player-characters. He can be charming and reasonable when he needs to be. His monomania and physical exhaustion have brought him close to being unable to tell the difference between right and wrong.

STR 8

CON 6

SIZ 12

INT 15

POW 12

DEX 13

APP 10

SAN 60

Move: 10

Hit Points: 10

Damage Bonus: None

Armor: None

Attacks: Brawl 25%, 1d4; Pistol 20%, 1d6

Profession: Scientist

Skills: Biology 31%, Chemistry 31%, Craft (Scientific Instruments) 35%, Electronics 31%, First Aid 50%, Language (German) 55%, Medicine 35%, Persuade 25%, Physics 31%, Research 55%, Status 25%

Fritz the Hunchback

“Don’t touch that!”

A dark, twitchy little man, Fritz seems even shorter than he is because of his spinal deformity. He’s much stronger than he looks, however, and despite needing a cane to traverse stairs he can climb and jump like a monkey when he needs to. Frankenstein used his influence to free Fritz when the latter would have gone to prison for burglary. Fritz is utterly devoted to his benefactor and obeys him implicitly, even when the task fills him with dread. Fritz’ harsh underclass upbringing gave him little opportunity for education but he’s a quick learner and has picked up the ability to build and adjust the electronic equipment Frankenstein plans to use in his great experiment. Unlike his boss, Fritz has hardly any social graces at all and possesses a cruel streak as a result of his own suffering. He will be generally hostile and sullen toward adventurers unless Frankenstein indicates that he will tolerate them.

STR 18

CON 11

SIZ 10

INT 15

POW 10

DEX 15

APP 6

SAN 50

Move: 10

Hit Points: 14

Damage Bonus: +1d4

Armor: None

Attacks: Brawl 45%, 1d4 + 1d4; Dagger 35%, 1d6 + 1d4

Profession: Criminal

Skills: Bargain 20%, Climb 55%, Drive 25%, Fine Manipulation 35%, Heavy Machine 36%, Hide 45%, Jump 55%, Language (German) 55%, Spot 45%, Stealth 45%

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Source: The Fly, 20th Century Fox, 1958; Return of the Fly, 20th Century Fox, 1959

The Fly

It is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Montreal industrialist and physicist Andre Delambre intended his matter disintegrator/re-integrator to revolutionize global transportation, reduce pollution and end world hunger. His bulky 1950s equipment proved able to teleport both inanimate objects and living creatures successfully, three centuries ahead of Star Trek. Unfortunately, during his second attempt to transport a human being (himself), a fly made its way into the disintegrator chamber. Both creatures which materialized in the reception chamber displayed a combination of human and insect anatomy. Delambre acquired a bug’s head and claw while the arthropod received a human head and arm. To his horror and despair, he felt both his reason and his humanity slipping away daily, and his insect claw seemingly had a mind of its own.

Delambre’s young son, Philippe, grew up to become an electronics genius in his own right, determined to reconstruct his father’s research and prove that teleportation was a viable technology. It was a matter of honor; his success would be a memorial to the elder Delambre. Although Philippe avoided his father’s technical mistakes, he proved a poor judge of character. His trusted lab assistant was eager to steal the disintegrator/re-integrator. When Delambre discovered what he was up to, the villain knocked him unconscious and stuffed him into the disintegrator. Knowing of Philippe’s phobia of flies, the thief spitefully captured one and put it in the machine before teleporting his former boss and fleeing. The result was predictable.

Before his transformation, Andre Delambre is a dark, handsome, athletic man in his late 30s. He is outgoing and enthusiastic, devoted to his wife and son but apt to become aloof and distracted when confronted with a science puzzle that needs solving. Delambre will gladly meet with player-characters, particularly if they are potential investors, but will decline to discuss his latest project in detail pending further tests. After the change, he will refuse to admit anyone into his presence except his wife. If adventurers manage to get past her, Andre has concealed his inhuman features beneath a cloth. He is unable to speak but can write or wave the PCs away with his remaining hand. If they refuse to leave, and particularly if they shove around his wife, Delambre may be unable to restrain his animalistic impulses.

Philippe Delambre is a slim, earnest man in his late 20s. He has his father’s dark hair and his mother’s delicate features. He’s good-natured but grimly determined to fulfill what he sees as his life’s mission. Like his father, Philippe will welcome PC investors; he will also accept proffered assistance from adventurers who have demonstrated their trustworthiness and technical expertise. His transformation is more “buggy,” if possible, than his father’s. The younger Delambre is also less able to control his violent tendencies.

Both men, when mutated, possess inhuman strength and vicious knife-like claws. They are unable to speak or eat solid food. They gain an enhanced sense of smell and 360-degree vision but the input from their multiple eye facets can disorient them. Philippe’s insect arm and leg enable him to climb sheer walls, something his father is unable to do, but he walks with a limping shuffle. A particularly vindictive Game Master might also give them the ability to vomit acid. Both Delambres have the ability to reason, at least at first, but their thinking and desires will become more monstrous as time progresses. Assuming the PCs are able to find a way to restore them, it is uncertain what the long-term effects of their transformation will be.

STR 4d6+6 (20)

CON 2d6+6 (13)

SIZ 2d6+6 (13)

INT 2d6+6 (13)

POW 3d6 (11)

DEX 3d6 (11)

APP 1d6 (4)

Move: 8

Hit Points: 13

Damage Bonus: +1d4

Armor: Chitin AP 2-3 (head and limbs only)

Attacks: Claw 50%, 1d6+1d4; Vomit 25%, 1d4 acid attack

Skills: Climb 45%, Technical (Computer Use) 35%, Dodge 51%, Repair (Electrical) 35%, Science (Electronics) 35%, Listen 30%, Hide 25%, Jump 30%, Sense 45%, Stealth 25%, Spot 50%, Research 50%. Science (Physics) 35%,

Mutations: Enhanced Sense (360-degree Vision), Natural Weapon (Claw), Wall-Crawling

Edited by seneschal
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